Star and car: Toby Price, Dakar winner

The first Australian to win the grueling cross-country rally loves the versatility of his ute.

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Star and car: Toby Price, Dakar winner

03 Feb 2017Owen Thomson

What was your first car?

I grew up on a big property way out west, on 43,000-acres, and I had a farm car, which was a Datsun. It was pretty beat up. I was seven-years of age. We modified it a little bit – put some blocks and spacers on the pedals and moved the seat right forward. That's how I learned to drive. In case anything went wrong and there were no adults around, I'd be able to drive to get help. It was something I had to learn. We were miles from the local hospital - about 60-kilometres from a small place called Hillston. It was a good place to grow up and a lot of fun.

What about when it came to the actual road?

My actual first road car to get me from A to B was a secondhand Mitsubishi Express. Basically it was a van just big enough to get a motorcycle in the back. That was my transport to and from tracks and to all the events I needed to be at. At the time I think the stereo was probably worth more than the car, but I never had any problems or issues with it.

Now that you're an actual Mitsubishi ambassador, what are you driving these days?

A Mitsubishi Triton Ute. It's unreal. I really enjoy driving it. I can just load a bike into the back and cruise to the tracks. It's definitely also something nice and stylish to cruise into town in, go and have some dinner and do odd jobs here and there. I'm definitely lucky to have them on board.

What's your pet road peeve?

The worst part is when you get to an overtaking lane and you've been following a car for four-five-kilometres. Then when you get to that overtaking lane, it just seems to turn into a race and the guy wants to pin it and go. Then you get to the other end of the lane and he slows back down and goes at a normal speed. That's the biggest annoying thing for me on the road.

Australian motorcycle rider Toby Price on his way to winning the 2016 Dakar Rally. Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

What's your favourite drive?

The drive between Sydney and Wollongong. The scenery is quite remarkable. I guess another spot would be across the Great Australian Bight.

When it comes to the amazing Dakar Rally scenery, is it fair to assume that you don't really get to enjoy it?

That's right. Basically when you're under full-gas and concentrating on the road ahead, you don't really take the scenery in too much. But there are sections called liaison rides, which are just transports to the special stages. We get to take in the scenery then. Argentina and Bolivia have got some amazing backgrounds and settings that not many vehicles would actually get through. We get to experience it all.

Vital statistics

2003 – the year I got my old Mitsubishi Express

1 – the number of years I've been a Mitsubishi ambassador

The lowdown: the 2016 Dakar Rally winner performs at his best when the terrain is at its worst.

Career highlights: winning five stages of the 2016 Dakar Rally; becoming the first Australian to win any class of the famous Dakar Rally, and the only person to win on their second attempt; becoming the first Australian to win the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge; finishing third in the 2016 World Championship.